Women are going back to school in greater numbers than ever before. Female students are earning their BAs at numbers that far surpass men, yet the number of women entering the fields of information technology and computer science is steadily declining. While women are taking over the blogosphere, far too few are entering IT fields.
The question then becomes how to encourage women to enter a traditionally male-dominated field? How do we instill an interest in technology in girls and support this interest as they grow into women? Our life interests have their beginnings in childhood so it stands to reason that the activities we undertake with our young girls have a deep impact on the interests and passions they have as women.
Start Early
Parents of young girls should encourage their daughters to play with Legos, and other building toys, as often as they encourage their sons to do the same. Too often, girls are pigeonholed into a gender role and given dolls, make-up and plastic kitchens as gifts. Parents are more apt to buy their son and Erector set, or a model, than they are to buy the same gift for their daughter.
As girls age and enter school, it becomes important for both parents and teachers to be cognizant of gender roles and how they may inhibit female children from becoming interested in technology. Computer lessons should be tailored accordingly, the “geek” stereotype should be downplayed and math and science should be made appealing. Teachers need to be aware of their gender biases and check them at the door before entering the classroom. It is only then that girls will be given the same encouragement when it comes to math, science and technology as their male peers.
Find Mentors
Female junior high and high school students should be exposed to women in the IT field. These women can be guest speakers in a computer class or even volunteer mentors. The average female student is never in contact with a female in the tech field. Many times, these girls have women in their lives in traditional roles: teachers, nurses and secretaries. Because these women are often important in the girls’ lives, these are the women they emulate. By exposing them to women in the IT field, the girls will begin to expand their interests and see IT as a plausible career choice.
Outside of school, parents can enroll their daughters in various computer boot camps, weekend seminars and summer camps with a technological focus. These camps are set up with girls in mind and offer a wide variety of courses from web design to computer repair. Led by women in the field, these camps give girls the opportunity to learn from, and ask questions of, mentors who are more like them. This interaction can serve to further encourage girls to enter the field of computer science.
The field of technology is growing and it only makes sense that women be encouraged to join its ranks. Whether just graduation from high school, or returning back to school after taking time off to have and raise children, online schools offer several options for women interested in computer science. By encouraging our daughters, and other young women, to pursue their interest in math, science and technology, we can ensure that women are properly represented in the computer sciences.
Cathy Sanders is a guidance counselor and content contributor for topwebdesignschools.org, a site providing Web Design Schools details and lists of the top web design distance programs available.